Robots tend
to be designed with a specific task in mind, and their parts are
built accordingly. However, there are many missions where this
approach doesn't work. In cases such as disaster recovery,
intelligence gathering and space exploration it isn't always clear
what task a robot might be assigned.

The Foambot was created by a team led by Shai Revzen and comprises
of a central platform -- a "foam synthesizer cart" - and several
jointed modules that be released from the cart and then manoeuvred
into position. Once the configuration is right, the mothership can
spray insulation foam to connect the clusters in order to make a
robot -- be it a quadruped or a snake.

Foambots can be useful for other applications, such as picking
up dangerous objects and quickly creating an emergency doorstop. In the future it could carry a selection of
collapsible moulds that the robot could use to make specific
components -- such as wheels, wings and floats -- to ensure it can
tackle any terrain it is faced with.

Check out the video of the Foambot creating a quadruped above --
watch out for the extraordinary, frog-like movement of the robot
when it comes to life.